By failing to address the public transit problem, we risk a future that is costlier, more polluting, and where gridlock holds people and goods back from their full potential.

The federal government is poised to release their next-generation transit investment program, the Canada Public Transit Fund. It may surprise you to learn that not a single penny of this $30-billion program is allowed to go toward stopping transit service cuts. Since 2016, it has been the federal government’s policy to limit the public transit funding it provides to building new subway or light rail infrastructure or buying new buses. It cannot be used to make existing transit more reliable by increasing service hours and the frequency of trains or buses. This is despite studies showing that these measures are the most important drivers of key outcomes like ridership growth and emissions reductions.

  • corsicanguppy@lemmy.caEnglish
    4·
    22 days ago

    They want transit to support itself through user fees and local taxes. That’s about 90% taxes and 10% user fees.

    Because user fees worked so well for them during COVID. Losing 10% meant service reduction and less user fees and then more service reduction, etc.